Car Booty (again!)

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning (actually it was still dark !) for the Car Boot.

It was drizzling but I took my chances and went anyway.

I made a nice few £££s (to counteract the Matalan trolley dash yesterday!).

We chatted to some lovely people both on the stalls next to us and had some delightful customers.

And the sun came out !

Plus I went with a boot full and came back with less than half of what I took.

All in all a good day :0)

Here's what I wore (in anticipation of the sun coming out!)

Matalan pink vest top (£1), Tesco white vest top (£2), Matalan Skirt (£3), Balerina Pumps - Charity shop (£3), New Look Bracelet (£1), Necklace - Car Boot sale (50p)

I'm at work all day tomorrow but I don't mind Sundays, a 6 hour day and it's lovely and quiet so I get lots done.

Tomorrow evening will be spent deliberating over what to pack for our forthcoming holiday to Cornwall, I think it might be a case of ..................... !!!!

Cheap As Chips.

It's school hols time and trying to keep the kids occupied is still no mean feat even though they are teenagers ! I do love the long break though, being able to spend so much time together is great and finding new places to visit and things to do is great fun. Obviously, it has to be cheap !

Mornings are usually a breeze as they're still in bed but the afternoons prove a little more difficult, especially when hubby is on nights and we have to be quiet as a mouse until he gets up.

I was feeling a bit lazy so thought a portion of chips on the beach would do very nicely for lunch and kill a bit of time along the way. The littlies managed to sneak in a chocolate dipped ice cream too ! I do like to spoil them occasionally :0)

Tomorrow, we're off to do a car boot sale to try and make a few pennies again. It's supposed to be a glorious day but I think an early start will be in order - they queue at 5am for a 7.30am start at our local one - yikes !

Today's outfit is a real cheapie ! Matalan have a sale on and a quick jolly over to Bognor today for some shoes for my eldest, ended up in a two hour shop-a-thon ! My ebay winnings are depleting fast !

Tunic (no label so I have no idea who it's made by) £1.04 (ebay). Trousers DP (£3 in the sale), Sandals (Matalan sale £5), Bracelets (Matalan sale £1.50), Earrings (Matalan Sale £1), Ring (Matalan Sale £1.50), Headscarf (New Look Sale £1), Necklace bought for me by my darling hubby on valentines day xx

Excuse the really poorly painted toe nails - I can't find my varnish remover !!!! I promise next time they will be pristine and presentable!

Total outfit cost - £14.04 if my maths is right?!

There are more goodies from Matalan too but I'll save them for another day x





20 questions ......

I've pinched this question/answer thingy-majig from Danni (hope you don't mind Danni !) who in turn borrowed it from Sophie .

I figured it might be a bit of a 'get-to-know-me' post and maybe get me a few more followers - I seem to be a bit of a 'billy-no-mates' !!!!

What is bothering you right now?
The fact that I have to have an ECG tomorrow as my heart murmur is doing funny things to me !
Do you like celebrity magazines?
No not really, but I'd read one if I was bored enough.
When was the last time you were ill? Why?
Ermmmm that'd have to be Boxing Day with that blasted norovirus, I thought I was going to die!
Do you feel you belong in a different era? 
Not really, I'm happy to move along with the times and embrace the future.
Who owns you? 
My kids, I'm a big softie and give in far to easily when it comes to them.
Favorite country in Europe? 
I haven't visited many but of the few that I have been to, I loved Turkey.
Did you skive off school?
School? No. College? Yes.
Ever played an instrument? 
Nope.
Favorite alcoholic drink?
G & T
Do you follow fashion?
I do but don't necessarily dress to the current trend unless it's something I like.
What colour are your eyes? Do you like that colour? 
Green, I've often been told I have cats eyes (not sure if that's a good thing or a bad !) I'm happy with my eyes :0)
What is the furthest you have travelled from your home? How far was it?
Turkey. Told you I'm not very well travelled !
What is the coldest temperatures you have experienced? Where were you?
That would have to be helping out on one of my son's school trips to Butser Farm 2 years ago. Sub-zero temperatures, the toilets had frozen so the kids had nowhere to pee and we were outside all bloody day ! I've NEVER been so cold !
What is the hottest temperatures you have experienced? Where were you?
I think probably here in the UK!
Imagine you have three wishes. List them. (A million more wishes doesn't count)
1. That my children grow up to be happy, healthy and kind and appreciate the good things in life.
2. Straight hair without having to get the blasted irons out every morning!
3. A huge boat, you know the kind, one of those yacht thingys with all the fancy leather seats, round beds, bar and all the posh champagne. I'd sail around the world !
Are you keeping a secret from the world? 
Maybe? But if I told you it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?!!!
If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself ten years ago, what would you say?
Enjoy the kids because they grow up too bloody fast.
How have you changed in the past 10 years?
I've gotten smaller to the tune of 5st. I'm still lacking in a bit of self-confidence, but blogging is actually helping I think. I think I'm a bit wiser too, don't take any bulls**t off anyone like I used to!
Is abortion wrong? 
No, everyone should have a choice.
Do you like long train/car journeys? 
Train? Don't go on many. Car? Yes, but oddly enough, only if I'm in the driving seat.
Have you ever considered writing a novel?
No, I don't have a very good imagination.
Have you ever punched someone in the face?
No.
What is your sense of humour like?
Quite dry. I do have a (bad) trait of winding people up while remaining deadly serious and letting it run for a few days ! I do love a good can't-get-your-breath laugh :0)
Are you a good person?
I like to think so, others tell me I'm kind so that's good enough for me :0)

Inspiration ......

...... for me comes from other fantastic blogs that I love reading .....

Laura at A Daisy Chain Dream for her fantastic baking skills, ability to make me browse the web for hours with her recommendations on fashion and footwear (any excuse for me Laura !) and her ability to pick herself up and dust herself off no matter what life seems to throw at her !

Vix for sheer envy at her fabulous ebay, car boot and jumble sale finds - she is my hero !

AThriftyMrs for her expert thought-provoking blogging posts and always having something interesting to discuss.

Alex for her determination on her weight-loss journey, her wonderful outfits and historical blog posts (I learn so much from your travels!)

There are lots more that I could write about too but this would be a very long post indeed if I did.

I hope the above ladies don't mind me giving them a mention !  xx

I wonder if you can guess who inspired me to make these beauties  ....

We're off for a celebratory charity shop jaunt this afternoon after my Ebay dolls sold for a mahooosive £350! Not bad for a £16 outlay ! Obviously I won't spend it all, just a little bit ?!

Lazy, hazy days ............

Perfect weather for a picnic by the river ...

Excuse the wally's who are pulling funny faces !

We hopped, skipped and jumped on the train to Arundel with a few goodies in a rucksack, my 'Pimms O'Clock' picnic rug that I won on facebook and a bottle or two of ........

(you will sooooo have to excuse my gormless look and tired eyes, I really was in a 'can't be arsed' mood today!)

With beautiful views of the castle and the river,

some cute little ducklings on the walk down to

the boating lake,

and some wonderfully old buildings, Arundel really is a smashing place to visit.

We're really lucky to have all this on our doorstep and part of my 'bucket list' is to make more of all the wonderful places we have here in West Sussex.



Sad Sunday ....

 ........ such a short life, such a talent and a huge loss to her family and fans.

While I wasn't a massive fan of Amy's, I did enjoy her music and her distinct voice. There's no point in getting into the 'lifestyle' issues she had, she wasn't the only musician to live like that and she certainly won't be the last !

RIP Amy x

Going once .......... going twice ...........

GONE !!!!

The auction yesterday was SOOOO much fun ! We arrived (nervously!) at 9.15 am and managed to get a 45 minute dash around the room, picking out lots we liked the look of (there were quite a few!)

Both me and hubby do have quite a 'good eye' (and an element of luck!) but even so, it was hard to know where to begin! There were over 800 lots in total and it was piled up high and cramed into boxes down below. It was a general household auction so you name it and it was there ..... washing machines, wardrobes, tools, garden furniture, chairs, paintings, toys, ceramics, nik-naks etc etc.

Bidding for the first time was a bit of a heart-racing moment (well, it was for hubby, I made him do it all ! hahah) I was most surprised when we won our first lot for the measly sum of £4 !! I couldn't quite believe how little the items were going for ..... wardrobes £4-5, units £10ish, boxes of paintings (of which we got one!) £4-£20, toys £2 a box ...... you get the idea ....... so we thought we might start bidding on a few more items :0) Not having the benefit of viewing some of these items previously, we were bidding blind on some lots ....... maybe a bit stupid????? Maybe not !

I'll not reveal too much at the moment but a little haul of a box of vintage dolls for £16 is so far netting us over £100 on Ebay {does a clappy, happy, wiggle dance around the room} !!! There are other little gems that we have plans for too - car booty maybe?

As Del Boy once said (I think he said it a few times actually) ........... "This time next year we'll be millionaires !"

Here are a few of the pictures from the £4 lot (there were 8 in total, but these are my favourites) .... I don't think I will be parting with any of these as I have plans to pop them up on the very large stair wall once we've decorated.

'The Dead Bird' by Greuze (a print, I don't think it's the original !) The frame is stunning on this. The picture is a little morbid, I wonder if she found the bird like that ? I shall have to investigate a little more on this I think ....

'A Bottle of Mateus Rose and a Baguette' - reminds me of our holiday in france last year :0)

I have no idea as to the title of this painting, it's my favourite one. Vivid colours (not picked up very well by my photo) and such a beautiful scene.

Again, no indication as to the title but reminds me of here on the South Coast and all the fishermen bringing in their catch to the beaches.

Another fishing scene, there seems to be a theme going on here ! Farming is in my blood, not fishing !!!



Will we be going again? Absolutely !